Rep. Andy Holt Introduces Firearms Privacy Protection Act

State Rep. Andy Holt (R-District 76)

NASHVILLE, Feb. 17, 2016– Tennessee State Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden) has introduced legislation to outlaw publicly funded schools and universities from inquiring about firearm ownership in a student or employee’s home. The bill also seeks to close a loophole that allows schools and universities to collect firearm ownership data, so long as it is ‘voluntarily’ provided.

“Last year, a law was passed that outlawed this practice in k-12 schools, but did not apply to public universities,” said Rep. Holt. “The law also created a loophole that would allow schools to collect the information so long as it wasn’t mandatory that the information was given.”

Rep. Holt says the current loophole allows school systems to easily sidestep the law designed to keep schools from inquiring and collecting about firearm ownership.

“If a school wants to collect firearm ownership data, all they have to currently do is slip the paper in a student’s packet at the beginning of the school year. Most parents sign all their student’s papers without question because they believe it is mandatory for their children to remain in school. If the school was to ever be questioned on why they were collecting this data when it is ‘against the law’, all the school would have to do is say that the information was voluntarily provided and parents were not forced to fill out the paper. However, most parents wouldn’t know better seeing as how they have to fill out papers at the beginning of every school year.”

State Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta) will carry the Senate version of the bill.